Company: UniFirst Corporation, Wilmington, MA
Company Description: UniFirst is a leading supplier of work clothing, uniforms, and careerwear to businesses of all sizes and types. The company also provides facility services cleanliness products, such as restroom items and floor mats. UniFirst serves over 225,000 customer locations throughout the U.S. and Canada and outfits more than 1 million people in their work clothes every business day.
Nomination Category: Sales Department Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Sales Department of the Year - Services

Nomination Title: UniFirst Leverages Faltering Economy to Gain Significant Sales

Tell the story about what this nominated department achieved since the beginning of July last year (up to 500 words). Focus on specific accomplishments, and relate these accomplishments to past performance or industry norms. Be sure to mention obstacles overcome, innovations or discoveries made, and outcomes:

Given the negative economic sales climate that was anticipated for 2009, the
Chairman and CEO of UniFirst Corporation, asked his Sales and Marketing
Support Department to create and launch a unique program that could increase
annual revenues by leveraging the faltering economy in a way that would
attract prospective customer attention by producing a new kind of value for
their businesses.

The result was the introduction of the “UniFirst VIP Cost Analysis Program”
which provides businesses with a free, in-depth audit of their uniform rental
and facility services programs to validate whether they are receiving all
contractual services as promised and at current market rates.

As part of the VIP program review, which focuses on overall Value, Image and
Pricing, the audit ensures businesses are not being needlessly charged any
indirect or “hidden” costs. In total, there are 35 specific operational areas
UniFirst reconciles for potential program inconsistencies. Among the cost
factors checked are whether product inventory levels are inline with weekly
usage, if uniform issue charges are consistent among all wearers, and if
invoice credits are present to offset any service shortcomings. When any
irregularities are identified, the UniFirst program provides detailed,
actionable, cost-saving and service improvement recommendations for uniform
rental services, as well as for facility cleanliness products, such as mats,
mops and restroom items.

To date, approximately 150,000 businesses have taken advantage of the free
UniFirst VIP program which has produced savings of as much as 50 percent over
the duration of their uniform rental agreement for some companies and has
significantly improved servicing quality for virtually each of them. As a
result of the free VIP Cost Analysis Program, many of the audited companies
have become UniFirst customers.

The bottom line results? In fiscal year 2009, while operating in an economic
climate that was arguably the worst in the company’s 73-year history, UniFirst
achieved record revenues of $1.013 billion, just slightly off the previous
year’s record of $1.023 billion. (On a comparable work week basis, however,
revenues increased by 1.0% over the prior year, as fiscal 2008 included an
extra revenue week compared to fiscal 2009.) Net income for the full year was
a record $75.9 million, a 24.4% increase over the previous year.

List hyperlinks to any online news stories, press releases, or other documents that support the claims made in the section above. IMPORTANT: Begin each link with http://, and enclose each link in square brackets; for example, [http://www.youraddress.com]:

Provide a brief (up to 100 words) biography about the leader(s) of the nominated sales organization:

Jerry L. Messenger is Director of Sales Support and has overall responsibility
for the “UniFirst VIP Cost Analysis Program.” As Director of Sales Support,
Mr. Messenger responsibilities include the continued development, refinement,
and coordination of every facet of all UniFirst Sales Program initiatives
aimed at achieving annual sales quota objectives.